Chapter 619, Quite Impressive
Letilie clapped her hands behind her.
Staff brought in two wooden coffins.
With the jostling, bits of soil scattered from the coffin seams.
Thud, thud~!
Two dull thumps as the coffins were set in the center of the room.
The staff left and closed the door.
Letilie glanced at the coffins and said, "I've acquired two mage corpses for you. It took some effort and came with some risk."
"Thanks for your trouble," Wu Heng said.
As for the risk she mentioned,
Wu Heng didn't care much.
A group that mainly dealt in gray-area industries was never risk-free.
Of course, she meant that mage corpses were harder to get than others.
Wu Heng waved to the skeleton, and the skeletal attendant quickly moved over.
They opened the coffins, revealing two corpses in different stages of decay.
Letilie introduced, "The first is a level 11 illusion mage. The second is level 7, unknown specialization—likely evocation or conjuration."
"I'm satisfied. How much more do I owe you?" Wu Heng asked calmly.
"You still owe 2 gold and 150 silver."
Much pricier than previous corpses. Even a level 10 bounty usually went for only three to four hundred silver.
Yet this was priced in gold.
Wu Heng nodded and casually handed over 2 gold coins and a pouch of silver.
Letilie accepted it gladly and asked, "Shall I fill out another commission?"
"Yes. Continue."
Letilie stepped out for the paperwork. Wu Heng had the skeleton seal the coffins and stored them in his spatial ring.
...…
Not long after, Letilie returned.
She carried a plate of pastries and picked one up with her pale fingers, bringing it to Wu Heng's mouth. "Freshly ordered from outside. Try one."
Wu Heng turned his head away. "Too sweet for me at my age."
"Talking like you're an old man." Letilie didn't mind and popped it into her own mouth.
"Humans age faster because of shorter lifespans," Wu Heng said.
Letilie filled out the form while replying, "You're still younger than me."
"A lot of people envy your elf kind—good looks and long life," Wu Heng sighed.
In fact, all humans envied elves.
A race that looked graceful and lived long.
Letilie continued, "There are some ways to extend life. If you ever need one, I can post a commission for you."
"It's not that easy. Even the old king of the Ekow Kingdom couldn't escape death, let alone us regular Professionals." Wu Heng said, his eyes drifting to Letilie's exposed chest as she leaned forward.
"Do you have some misunderstanding about regular Professionals?" Letilie seemed to notice his gaze, looked up with a smile, then bent over again to continue writing. "Royalty has rules. They can't use extreme means to prolong life. But others have found ways—like undead mages and the Secret Cult. They're always looking for ways to survive."
Indeed, the Secret Cult had long focused on life extension.
Those with wealth and power often obsessed over living longer.
Wu Heng had encountered two rare items: one was the [Sacrificial Staff].
Yazde, the former steward of Blackstone Town, tried to use it to possess Wu Heng—only to fail due to Wu Heng's rapid progress.
The second was the [Blood Chalice], a vampire relic that transformed the user into a bloodkin through blood-drinking.
He later gave it to Lilith, establishing a connection with her.
The Secret Cult had many such items.
"Sounds like joining the Secret Cult might help with longevity," Wu Heng remarked.
"Not something ordinary folks can join. And they value obedience—usually test it by demanding something extreme," Letilie said with a smile, placing the commission form aside.
She seemed to know quite a bit about the Secret Cult.
At least she knew about their obedience trials.
"Still best not to get involved with that kind of group."
Letilie nodded. "Besides them, I've heard of other methods—organ replacement, blood transfusion, becoming a god's follower, even getting reborn."
When she mentioned the last one, Wu Heng's eyes widened. "Reborn? How?"
"I don't know. Just rumors," Letilie replied with a laugh.
Then her eyes shifted. She sized him up, pulled a book from her ring. "A new book just arrived in town. Have you read it?"
The cover showed a trench-coated Wu Heng.
It was clearly a Great Detective novel.
Wu Heng hadn't expected she'd read it. "I heard it's selling well on Gold-Silver Island. Supposedly based on the new Lord's real stories."
"Right? So amazing. Like he just appeared and suddenly everyone knows him," Letilie said with shining eyes.
"You like the story?"
"Better than those hero tales. I heard there are signed copies on Gold-Silver Island. I sent someone to buy one. Don't know if I'll get it," Letilie replied seriously.
"If you spend a little, he'll probably sign one for you."
"Then it wouldn't be meaningful," Letilie said, smiling as she locked eyes with him. "Do you think Lord Wu Heng might become a hero?"
Wu Heng slightly raised an eyebrow, his gaze steady.
Her tone hinted at probing.
He collected corpses, had undead-like attendants,
and his appearance coincided with the rise of the island lord.
Letilie, as a local consortium leader, clearly wasn't just doing business.
She likely suspected his identity—or had already confirmed it.
Not that it mattered.
At level 19, with the guild's backing, not many could threaten him.
Wu Heng smiled. "If he's as amazing as you say, he might just become a hero."
"Since you said it, he probably isn't far from it."
...…
Returning to Gold-Silver Island.
It was already afternoon.
The carriage passed Lighthouse Street, where the road was crowded.
Streetlights were being erected, and people moved along with them.
There was no power yet—no lights.
Still, people gathered curiously.
The slow-moving carriage let Wu Heng hear their chatter.
"So much change in a few months—it's more than in years."
"The Lord isn't ordinary. He's a powerful mage—way better than the last ones."
"My daughter's about the same age as the Lord."
"Didn't you say she just turned six?"
"Still counts. They can get to know each other first."
"Heard the Lord likes beastkin girls—the one he always brings to Lighthouse Street."
"A mage who likes beastkin? That's rare."
"Quite impressive!"